Hi, it's Fancy1959. I thought we could support one another while sharing antidotes and fun stories while taking this stupid little poll. Oh, and by the way this polling idea was inspired by comments that were made buy other MS patients in this chat room and my own personal experiences. Write and share your stories and explanations with one another about the number of times you have had to explain to your husband, wife, sons, daughters, neighbors, and friends why it has taken you so long to get dressed, go to the grocery store, or to run a few errands, etc.

One neighbor in particular asks me over and over again why it has taken me so long to run a few errands and my number answer is;

Remember I have MS and everything I do is done at a slower more deliberate pace. I also feel better when I take occasional breaks to make sure I don't over do it! It drives me nuts having to explain this to her every single time I go out on a few errands.

After 3+ years of fighting this MS beast, I still occasionally have to remind my husband and sons not to be inpatient while waiting for me to get ready. So I can't wait to see what everyone else has to say!

I feel like a broken record, since this is all so new to all of us. My bf bless his heart tries to understands and reads the net but doesn't seem to get that celebrity's have it a bit better lol. I have to remind him that almost weekly that l will only do what l feel my body will do and if l repeat myself cause l forgot, then deal lolol

Ditto to that! We become broken records in more than one way, If our friends and families only knew, It helps to know we are not in this alone! Together we can help each cope with these day to day small irritations and laugh while we do it! We are stronger together!

You are so right! No matter how loving or understanding they try to be, sometimes they just don't get it. How do you tell your soulmate and spouse of 38 yrs that he can't touch you because your nerves are on fire? How do you explain that you can't even lift your head up because you are so fatigued? How do you tell close friends that you can't go out to a movie because your legs and arms won't stop shaking and you can't walk? This disease is a Beast.

Hi there! Well, being a single mother of 3 (girls), I find that putting myself in "time out" really avoids (some) stress. My number on antidote to life however, is Christianity. Hope is all many of us have to hold on to. Things will get better for us all. Hold on, folks!

Good morning fellow MSers, I wanted to share and spread my smile to everyone who works at improving their MS limitations. I wanted to follow up on my pony story. I have been riding my pony every single day for the past 8 days. I am already noticing a lot of improvement. I work on stretching my legs out yet relaxing my ankles knees and hips at the same time. I have already noticed my balance and core strength is improving. Yeah! Today for the first time I was not only able to mount the pony by myself, with help of a mounting block, but I managed to dismount the pony also. That was a very big achievement for me. Whatever your passion is don't let MS take it away from. I know, God willing, I will get a little bit stronger and ride a little bit longer each and every day.

Already I have friends contacting me telling me they are waiting to take me camping and horseback riding as soon as I am ready. And they will go with me at my pace. What more could you ask for! What support! Seek out whatever help you need to achieve your passion and go for it. Fight on Ms Warriors, fight on!

Donna, it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile. And, of course we both know which one makes us feel better! So keep smiling and remember as rough as the year has been, it could be so much worse. We are blessed to have MS because new therapies are being approved at an amazing rate! All we have to do is support one another and remind each other to keep faith that the next new therapy is the one that allow us to beat this dreaded monster we call MS! Together we are stronger! Fight on MS Warriors, fight on!

I have MS (It takes me 15 minutes to dress myself in a tee shirt, jeans and sandals and another 5 minutes to rev up my walker) and I love my wife very much but I still have to wait for her every time we go anywhere. So I am not sure this is all MS related.

I am so conscious of the fact that it takes me so long to get ready to go anywhere that I'm always too early. It's good that I'm retired and have the time to twiddle my thumbs when I get to where I'm going. Actually, I do a lot of reading and listening to music while I'm waiting.

I tell people that everything I try to do is 100% more difficult. Whether it's folding laundry or brushing my hair. After 20 years I'm almost used to realizing that I am not going to be able to do something. Almost. Have to say, it still shocks me when I can't do something my mind tells me I can.

Anyone that has had to deal with a loss of mobility quickly learns how to be creative. I am sure that I am not the only one who uses a variety of tools in very different ways than what they were intended. You start to look at things differently. I have been known to use my cane for pushing a door open or pulling a public ladies room stall door shut behind me. I use it to close my car door I just hook the handle on the door handle and pull the door shut. I also use my cane for pulling bath tissue down off the shelf in a supermarket because they stack them to the ceiling! I will knock soft goods off a shelf into my basket (great for pasta), now these are things I never would have thought of doing before. I try not to think how I must look to a passerby, people always offer to assist when they see this. And one older woman told me I was VERY RESOURCEFUL! I am not promoting that we wreck the store, but if you shop alone and don’t have help, well you just have to be creative!